Latest and Greatest from the Rio Olympics

Schedule

Day 6 was a crazy day for Team USA – no spoilers in the text here but listen to the podcast just below for the whole rundown of today’s events! Primetime coverage is still going on, so I won’t spoil your fun.

Tomorrow is a big day with medal events in skiing, women’s snowboarding halfpipe, figure skating pairs, speed skating and luge. Men’s hockey also begins, while women’s hockey and curling continues.

Good morning y’all! The 2014 Winter Olympics are off and running, and as promised, we’ll be providing daily schedules of the rundown of events, highlighting medal rounds and giving you times and TV listings.

Sochi, Russia, is nine hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time, so while there are a number of events that you will be able to watch live on NBC and affiliates (they provide thorough real-time coverage on the weekends and some during the week), the network will use its primetime slot (typically beginning at 8 p.m. ET) to re-air the day’s main events via tape-delay. Check out your local TV listings here.

For today (Saturday, Feb. 8), there’s a full slate of events, but thankfully the Winter Olympics features a much smaller variety of events than the Summer Games, so the list will be short. Unless otherwise indicated, the listed event time will also be its TV airtime (events slated for tape-delay re-air during primetime will be noted).

2014 Olympic Winter Games – Day 2 Schedule(ALL TIMES EASTERN)

* – Medal Event

12:30 a.m.: Snowboarding, Men’s Slopestyle Semifinals. Americans Chas Guldemond, Ryan Stassel and Sage Kotsenburg compete for a spot in the final later this morning.

You don’t want to say goodbye any more than I do, but all good things do indeed come to an end. But luckily, in a last-ditch effort to feed our insatiable need for Olympic spirit and international festive cultural interaction, there will be, as always, the Closing Ceremonies.

This year, the theme for London’s closing ceremonies will be “A Symphony of British Music,” and one has to wonder if icons like Elton John, The Rolling Stones or Ringo Starr – all missing from the Opening Ceremony – will make appearances here. One thing we DO know – the Spice Girls are back in full effect!

Speculation is running abound, but the band Muse and George Michael have confirmed they will participate, according to The Washington Times. Rumors also have Monty Python’s Eric Idle participating, which would make me really happy, and Adele is also a speculative participant. We shall see!

The Closing Ceremony begins LIVE at 4 p.m. ET (3 p.m. CT, 1 p.m. Pacific). The ceremony will be streamed live from NBCOlympics.com at those times, so if you can’t wait, check them out then, likely with the British broadcasts. NBC will indeed air the event in tape delay beginning at 7 p.m. ET and 6 p.m. CT, but the event won’t begin for Pacific audiences until 7 p.m. Pacific time. That’s an 8-hour wait for you West Coasters.

Well, it’s finally arrived. All good things must come to an end. These last two weeks have been incredibly fun, action-packed and memorable, and I don’t want them to be over. But we’ve got to move on.

But, for the final time, I’m proud to bring you the daily slate of events, so you can get your last fix of Olympics action in before we say farewell to London.

Basketball is king today, as King James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant and the rest of Team USA look to silence any doubt they can’t handle the size of Spain in the Gold Medal Game, set to tip off at 10 a.m. ET/9 p.m. CT. Spain brings size in Serge Ibaka and Pau and Marc Gasol against the American sharpshooters, whose three-happy game plan was too much for Argentina to handle in the semifinals.

Track and field closes with the Men’s Marathon, in which three American men are competing. We also have two Americans each in the women’s Modern Pentathlon, men’s Mountain Bike Race and Men’s Freestyle Wrestling, the last of which begins with elimination rounds and culminates around midday with the bronze and gold medal matches if they advance that far.

Team USA also plays one final game in the pool, taking on Australia for bragging rights in the Men’s Water Polo 7th Place Match.

The world watches as medals are handed out in men’s water polo, volleyball and handball, and the Men’s Basketball Bronze Medal Match features Russia and Argentina, with both teams featuring NBA talent.

For the full slate of medal events, scroll down to the bottom. Rhythmic gymnastics and boxing also close today, but neither event features Team USA.

And with that, we bid the 2012 Summer Olympic Games of London adieu! I can’t promise I won’t cry. Closing Ceremonies will be streamed live online at NBCOlympics.com, and they begin at 4 p.m. ET (3 p.m. CT and 1 p.m. Pacific). NBC will indeed air the event in tape delay beginning at 7 p.m. ET and 6 p.m. CT, but the event won’t begin for Pacific audiences until 7 p.m. Pacific time. So just watch it online.

*9:00 a.m.: Basketball vs. Spain, Team USA goes for its second consecutive Olympic gold medal against its predicted final opponent, Spain, which features NBA players Jose Calderon and the Gasol Brothers, Pau and Marc

*12:00 p.m.: Modern Pentathlon, Americans Margaux Isaksen and Suzanne Stettinius may compete in the Women’s Combined (Run/Shoot) Event (pending earlier results; this is the decisive and final event in the Modern Pentathlon)

The Games end tomorrow, and there is much left to be decided. Today is a huge medals day for Team USA in track and field and other sports, so let’s get right to it!

Team USA Women’s Basketball hasn’t lost in the Olympics since God knows when, and they look to continue ownership of the Olympic gold medal when they take on France at 3 p.m. CT, live on NBC Sports Network. Team USA also has a shot at its first-ever Women’s Volleyball gold medal if they can get by Brazil at 12:30 p.m. CT. Track and field largely finishes up today, with Team USA going for medals in five major events during the afternoon and the women’s and men’s long walks, both “run” in the morning. The only event remaining will be the men’s marathon, run Sunday.

We’ve also got Americans competing for gold in women’s cycling, men’s canoe/kayak and the Men’s Modern Pentathlon – an interesting combination of events like fencing, swimming and riding. Americans are also competing in earlier rounds in three weight classes of men’s freestyle wrestling and in the men’s 10m platform diving event that culminate in medal rounds today, I’ve listed all times below so keep tabs on them if you wish.

And in high-profile world events, Brazil faces Mexico in the men’s soccer Gold Medal Match, Thailand has possibly its last shot for gold at these Games in men’s boxing, medals are awarded in men’s field hockey and women’s handball, and the bronze medal finals of women’s basketball and volleyball feature Australia vs. Russia and Japan vs. South Korea, respectively.

Enjoy! After tomorrow, the Games will be gone for two years until the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

(ALL TIMES CENTRAL)

Team

* – Medal Event

2:45 a.m.: Modern Pentathlon, American Dennis Bowsher competes in the Men’s Fencing event

*3:00 a.m.: Track and Field, American John Nunn “races” for gold in the Men’s 50km Walk

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The fun is winding down as we head into the last weekend of Olympics action. *tear*

Real tears by the way.

Team USA is comfortably in the lead for medals but still has a shot to break 100, and there’s plenty of action left in these Games for the Americans, and for the rest of the world. Here’s what’s on tap for today.

LeBron, Kobe, CP3 and Team USA Men’s Basketball take on Manu Ginobili and Argentina at 3 p.m. for a shot at the gold medal against either Russia or Spain, who also play today. In track and field, USA goes for gold in men’s pole vault, women’s 1500m and 5000m, the women’s 4 x 100m relay and the men’s 4 x 400m relay. We also have a shot to go for gold in BMX Cycling and Taekwondo events today if they qualify and will be competing for medals in sailing and the men’s open water swimming event. (YEP, SWIMMING IS STILL HERE!)

Team USA will also have qualifying events in diving, rhythmic gymnastics and canoe/kayak (flatwater), final matches in women’s field hockey and men’s water polo for bragging rights.

In world events, the men’s soccer bronze will be decided, as will medals in women’s field hockey. Semifinals in men’s boxing, water polo, volleyball and handball are all today (none featuring Team USA). Wrestling will also award men’s freestyle medals today.

(ALL TIMES CENTRAL)

Team

* – Medal Event

2:30 a.m.: Field Hockey, Team USA takes on Belgium for final bracket placement in the Women’s Field Hockey Tournament

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I’m on the road back to DC today so I’m unable to post a full schedule, but here’s what you need to know today.

Team USA women’s soccer goes for gold today against Japan at 1:45 pm CT – and retribution for the heartbreaking loss in last year’s World Cup Final in penalty kicks. Stream it live or watch on NBC Sports Network or NBC.

Also, Team USA is in the gold medal match in women’s water polo against Spain at 2 pm CT. The women’s basketball team plays for a shot at the gold medal in the semifinal at 11 am CT against Australia.

Women’s volleyball is also in the semis against South Korea at 9 am CT, and middleweight boxer Claressa Shields goes for gold at 11:15 am CT against Russia’s Nadezda Torlopova in the inaugural Olympics for women’s boxing.

We’ll be back later tonight with content, including a guest post on equestrian and recaps of women’s soccer and track and field. Stay tuned!